MEHTA ET AL.: Forest Owlet 103 Prachi Mehta Introduction The Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitti [140] is a small diurnal owl endemic to India (BirdLife International 2017). Until 1884 there were only five confirmed records of the Forest Owlet from the central Indian highlands (Rasmussen & Collar 1998). The lack of authentic records after 1884 led to the belief that it was possibly extinct (Ripley 1952, 1976). In 1997 the Forest Owlet was rediscovered in the Shahada forests in northern Maharashtra (King & Rasmussen 1998). It is currently listed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (BirdLife International 2017). In 1997, surveys focussing on the distribution of the Forest Owlet were initiated by several researchers, resulting in several new sites being identified in Madhya Pradesh (Ishtiaq & Rahmani 2000; Mehta et al. 2008, 2015), Maharashtra (Ishtiaq & Rahmani 2000; Mehta et al. 2007, 2014; Chavan & Rithe 2009; Laad & Dagale 2015; Raha et al. 2017), and Gujarat (Patel et al. 2015, 2017). These surveys could not detect the Forest Owlet in Odisha and Chhattisgarh (Ishtiaq & Rahmani 2000; Mehta et al. 2008). In the case of rare species, with isolated populations, the identification of individual populations is essential for the species’ conservation. Studies have been carried out on the status and ecology of the Forest Owlet in Toranmal- and Taloda forests in Nandurbar District (Ishtiaq & Rahmani 2000; Jathar & Rahmani 2004; Jathar & Patil 2011). However, apart from these forests, other areas of the district have not been surveyed for the Forest Owlet. There was therefore a possibility that some populations of the Forest Owlet may not have been discovered. The single breeding record of Forest Owlet (Chavan & Rithe 2009) from Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary (henceforth, Yawal WLS) needed reconfirmation since previous (Ishtiaq & Rahmani 2000), and subsequent (Jathar & Rahmani 2004; Mehta et al. 2008), surveys could not detect the Forest Owlet there. Recently the Forest Owlet was discovered in Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary (Laad & Dagale 2015) but its distribution within the sanctuary was not known. Since the Forest Owlet is surviving in isolated populations it was considered imperative to carry out a systematic survey of the Forest Owlet’s distribution in north-western Maharashtra with the aim of understanding its exact distribution in Tansa Sanctuary, verifying its presence in Yawal WLS, and discovering new populations in Nandurbar District. Study area Forests of north-western Maharashtra are located at the junction where the Sahyadris transition into the forests of central India. The details of the three study sites are given below. A distribution survey of the Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitii in north-western Maharashtra Prachi Mehta, Jayant Kulkarni, Shubhadeep Mukherjee, Shreenath Chavan & Akshay Vinod Anand Mehta, P., Kulkarni, J., Mukherjee, S., Chavan, S., Anand, A. V., 2017. A distribution survey of the Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitii in north-western Maharashtra. Indian BIRDS 13 (4): 103–108. Prachi Mehta, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, 1A, Shreeyog Society, 127/3 Sus Road, Pashan, Pune 411021, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: prachimehta@wrcsindia.org. Jayant Kulkarni, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, 1A, Shreeyog Society, 127/3 Sus Road, Pashan, Pune 411021, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: jayantkulkarni@wrcsindia.org. Shubhadeep Mukherjee, 5/13, Angana Abasan, 490, M. B. Road, Birati, Kolkata 700051, West Bengal, India. E-mail: shubhadeepmukherjee12@gmail.com. Shreenath Chavan, Sakharwadi, Phaltan, Satara, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: chavanshreenath564@gmail.com. Akshay Vinod Anand, Wildlife Research and Conservation Society, 1A Shreeyog Society, 127/3 Sus Road, Pashan, Pune 411021, Maharashtra, India. E-mail: axhay93@hotmial.com. Manuscript received on 25 April 2017 . Abstract A systematic grid-wise survey of Forest Owlet Heteroglaux blewitii was carried out over an area of 434 sq km as well as a road survey of along 101 km, to assess its distribution in Nandurbar District, Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary, and Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary in north-western Maharashtra. We recorded 13 detections of Forest Owlets from Nandurbar District, 12 from Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary and none from Yawal Wildlife Sanctuary. Our survey reports the presence of the Forest Owlet in Navapur- and Chinchpada Reserved Forests in Nandurbar District, making three distinct populations in the district that require conservation attention. The Forest Owlet was found to be well distributed in Tansa Sanctuary. Encroachment on forest land, tree cutting, large scale fires, and hunting for the pot are potential threats for the Forest Owlet population in north-western Maharashtra. 140. Juvenile Forest Owlet.